The present invention relates to an optical apparatus such as a camera and, more particularly, to an optical apparatus including a lens barrel unit with a lens moving mechanism and its driving source, and a light quantity adjusting mechanism and its driving source.
In an optical apparatus such as an electronic camera including a lens barrel unit having a lens moving mechanism for moving a moving barrel frame in an optical axis direction and its driving source, and a light quantity adjusting mechanism such as an aperture shutter and its driving source, the driving sources or flexible printed boards for signal transfer between the driving sources and external circuits are partly exposed outside a holding barrel serving as a main body of the lens barrel unit. The number of the flexible printed boards corresponds to that of driving sources, and they are connected to external electric circuits.
The exposure or protrusion of driving sources and flexible printed boards from the holding barrel causes the following problems.
The shape and position of a cylindrical cam, which is rotatably mounted on the outer surface of the holding barrel as a member for driving a moving lens frame, is greatly restricted. The flexible printed boards are generally flexible but sensitive to an external force and durability. If, therefore, part of the flexible printed board is exposed outside the holding barrel, it is likely to be broken or disconnected in contact with other elements when the apparatus is assembled. The elements have to be mounted outside the holding barrel with a considerably large space so as not to interfere with the flexible printed boards, thus reducing efficiency of mounting on the apparatus.
If the plural driving sources inside the holding barrel and the electric circuits outside it are connected by a plurality of flexible printed boards, the following problem will arise:
When the driving sources in the holding barrel are assembled, a single flexible printed board can be used for each of the driving sources, thus improving in workability. If, however, the holding barrel is treated as a unit, the plural flexible printed boards obstruct the assemblage of the apparatus, and the space is increased. Jpn. UM Appln. KOKOKU Publication No. 7-5657 discloses a technique of transmitting a signal by bringing conductors of flexible printed boards into contact with each other. This technique is not however effective in resolving the above problems.